As we roll out our five-year strategic plan, we want to share more about our commitment to producing world-class ballet and establishing Grand Rapids Ballet as Michigan’s defining artistic force. This isn’t just an ambition — it’s a five-year roadmap for how we create extraordinary work on stage while making sure that work, and the joy of ballet itself, is truly within reach for everyone in our community.
Here’s more about this pillar of our strategic plan: We’re sustaining and elevating our artistic programming through multi-year rolling artistic plans and a commitment to developing major new productions every several years, so our stage continues to reflect ambition and artistic growth. We’re also expanding our reach across the state, building a touring plan with Detroit as a priority market, and continuing to forge high-profile partnerships with cultural and educational institutions across Michigan — all part of building a brand presence that makes the claim undeniable: Grand Rapids Ballet is Michigan’s home for professional ballet.
None of this matters if ballet isn’t welcoming to everyone who wants to experience it. That’s why accessibility and inclusion are at the heart of this pillar, too. We’re growing programs like our GRBeKids series and Seniors at the Ballet and deepening how we engage new and diverse audiences — because ballet is for everyone, regardless of age, background, or experience with the artform.
Whether you’re seeing your first performance or your fiftieth, walking through our doors — or welcoming us into your community — should feel like an invitation, not a barrier. Every audience member who experiences Grand Rapids Ballet should feel the same thing our dancers do on stage: that this artform truly transforms everyone who experiences it!
